BTSD ES Parent Presentation

Main ideas, concepts, and lessons

Welcome and purpose of the presentation

A “Back to School Day” parent presentation was delivered asynchronously because a typhoon caused cancellation of an in-person session (Monday).

The presenters welcomed:

• New families to St. Mary’s, including:
  • Those new to the school in RP
  • Students joining other grade levels

How the school connects routines to broader goals

The school’s work is guided by two primary goals:

• Well-being
• Student learning

These goals are linked to the school’s mission statement and core values, especially:

• Nurturing community / well-being
• Learning / excellence

The intended outcome is that students feel:

• Reassured and safe
• Prepared for learning
• Ready to engage in classrooms and learning experiences

Core values referenced as embedded throughout: respect and responsibility, harmony.

Shared routines (updated school-wide expectations)

The school uses shared routines across all spaces to create consistent expectations.

Benefits emphasized:

• Students know what to expect and where/how to behave
• Teachers use the same expectations and language
• Reduced time spent managing behavior → more time for learning
• Conditions are created for safe, calm, welcoming, joyful learning

Key shared routines mentioned

The presentation lists routines (with some described in more detail), including:

• Gaining attention
• Moving through the school
• Entrance and exit routines
• How to talk to adults
• Habits of attention
• How we speak
• Our “strong start” (referenced as a shared routine)

“Habits of attention” (explicit teaching)

Students are explicitly taught what attention looks/sounds like to:

• Listen to the teacher and peers
• Use eye contact
• Smile and nod to show listening
• Track the speaker (teacher or friend)
• Respond respectfully

“How we speak” (language development)

Students are encouraged to:

• Speak clearly
• Use complete sentences

The presentation emphasized that developing academic language is important across all subjects. A future enhancement is planned:

• Explicit vocabulary instruction later this year as a shared school approach.

Report cards: standards-based reporting approach

The school is redeveloping report cards to make them clearer to families. The overall purpose is to:

• Communicate achievement against learning expectations/standards (sometimes called standards)

An example used:

• A math standard about fractions (e.g., understanding unit fractions and representing them on a number line) illustrates what a standard describes and how students are assessed.

Progress scale (4, 3, 2, 1)

The report card uses a 4-3-2-1 progress system to indicate where a student is progressing toward meeting a standard.

Interpretations emphasized:

• 2 or 3 = generally “around grade level” for elementary students
• Students may move between 2 and 3 depending on subject difficulty and development over the year
• 4 = exceptional / above grade level (not necessarily the target for most students in the elementary developmental stage)
• 1 = indicates a need for additional support, prompting family communication

Shifts from traditional grading (homework not tied to grades)

A key change in standards-based reporting:

• No longer giving consequences for forgetting homework
• Late or timeliness behavior does not impact the academic grade

Behavior-related expectations are handled separately through work habits.

How assessments are used

Reporting emphasizes:

• What students have learned and to what extent
• Where learners need to go next

Instead of averaging many assessments into a final percentage grade:

• Teachers collect evidence showing improvement over time
• Reporting reflects where students ended by the end of a unit/section
• Early struggles should not permanently penalize later mastery

Report card structure and components

Typical length:

• About 3–5 pages, depending on the comments section

Includes:

• Subject header
• Short descriptor summaries of standards being taught/assessed during the grading period (e.g., quarter or semester)
• A grade descriptor box using the 4/3/2/1 framework
• Effort / general development descriptors (work habits/learning behaviors)
• Comments section

Effort / general development descriptors

Descriptors include:

• Outstanding
• Satisfactory
• Needs improvement
• Not assessed at this time

Timing note:

• Some standards may not be assessed every quarter; therefore not all items appear each reporting period.

Planned rework of descriptors

The school plans to revise grade descriptor wording (particularly the “4” descriptor) because:

• Students are not assessed/targeted against “above grade level” in the same way as the wording implies
• Most students are expected to fall mostly in 2–3, with 1 signaling support needs

Comment timing by quarter

• Quarter 1: Parent-teacher conference; no written comments
• Quarter 2: Written comments included (described as fairly extensive)
• Quarter 3: Student-led conference; no written comments
• Quarter 4: Comments again at the end of the year

Closing

• Thanks for patience regarding the typhoon-related cancellation
• Encouragement to visit campus at the next opportunity

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Methodology / instructional elements (detailed bullet list)

Shared routines methodology (what they are and why they’re used)

• Adopt shared routines school-wide
  • Ensure routines are used across all spaces
  • Create consistent expectations for students
• Align teacher language and expectations
  • Teachers use the same expectations and language so students understand:
    • “You belong here”
    • “You know what to expect”
    • “You are part of this community”
• Explicitly teach routines
  • Teach behaviors directly (not assumed)
  • Example: teach “habits of attention” by modeling/defining what listening looks and sounds like
• Use routines to improve learning time
  • Reduce time spent managing transitions and attention
  • Increase time spent on learning activities
• Continue improving routines
  • Plan to add explicit vocabulary instruction later this year as another shared approach

“Habits of attention” instruction (as described)

Teach students to demonstrate attention by:

• Using eye contact
• Smiling and nodding to show listening
• Tracking the speaker (teacher or peer)
• Responding respectfully

Teach the visible and audible characteristics of attention (“what it looks like and sounds like”).

“How we speak” instruction (as described)

Encourage students to:

• Speak clearly
• Use complete sentences

Support academic language development across all subjects.

Report card methodology (standards-based reporting)

• Define learning expectations
  • Standards define what students “should know and be able to do” at each grade level
• Assess achievement against standards
  • Use evidence to determine progress toward each standard
• Use a 4–3–2–1 progress scale
  • 2–3: typically around grade level
  • 4: exceptional/above grade level (not the primary target)
  • 1: needs support
• Focus on end-of-unit evidence
  • Early assessment struggles should not permanently lower achievement for later mastery
• Separate learning from behavior
  • Homework/timeliness consequences are removed from academic grade
  • Behavior/work habits are reported separately
• Use descriptors and comments
  • Combine grade descriptors (4–1) with effort/general development descriptors
  • Provide comments only in specific quarters (based on conference schedule)

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Speakers or sources featured (identified in subtitles)

• Mr. Ratcliff (speaker; welcomes parents and introduces others)
• Mr. Meyers (introduces new teachers)
• Miss Schnell (Christine Schnell) (new grade 4 teacher; speaker is not her, as stated)
• Mr. Travis (new grade 4 teacher; mentioned)
• Miss Seuss (Le Seuss) (new grade 3 teacher; mentioned)
• Miss Tommo Tomier Nakamura (Japanese team teacher; mentioned)
• Miss Anna Roberts (counselor; mentioned)
• Miss Lena Lac (teacher; returning from maternity leave coverage context; mentioned)
• Dr. Davis (referenced as setting the two goals—no direct speaking role indicated)
• Miss Carr (updates shared routines and explains routines in action; speaker)

If any names appear with unclear spelling due to auto-subtitle errors, the list above reflects the best match to the provided subtitle text.